It’s quite a long way from the sweeping, cinematic scope of Mongolia’s Eastern Steppe to Milan’s ancient, cobblestoned Brera district, but storied luxury Maison Loro Piana hasn’t built a global reputation for unparalleled quality by being confined by the rudiments of geography.
It is in Mongolia, amidst the famed biodiversity of one of the world’s last intact grassland ecosystems, that Capra Hircus goats, which provide the House with their world-renowned cashmere, are raised and grazed by herders. The community’s decades-long relationship with the Maison has established a global precedent for how high fashion can be a force for environmental protection and sustainability.
Cashmere has long been a part of Loro Piana’s DNA. Each collection features key pieces that anchor the House’s luxury narrative to the studied mastery of past, present and future – and this season’s looks are no exception.
For their Fall/Winter 2025-26 collection, the Mike coat in double-layered baby cashmere creates a silhouette of structure and cinch for a luxuriously personalised fit, while the wide-cut cashmere-mix Kurt trousers exude timeless elegance. The exquisitely cut Plane Tree dress, meanwhile, renders a refined cable-knit pattern in the natural softness of the coveted fabric.
The Loro Piana family began as wool merchants at the start of the 19th century. In the 1970s, founder Pietro’s great-grandsons Sergio and Pier Luigi expanded the business to include cashmere. In 1986, during a trip to China, Pier Luigi set up the relationships that would lead to Loro Piana becoming one of the world’s most respected cashmere manufacturers.
Working in harmony with nature is core to the luxe brand’s ethos. The harvesting of the fibre from Alashan goats’ superfine under-fleece is a cyclical process, performed between March and May each year. That’s when the climate is milder and the animals tend to lose the layer naturally. When it comes to baby cashmere, the harvesting is a once-in-a-lifetime shearing carried out before the kids turn one.
In 2009, with the quality of the cashmere fibre, the preservation of the goats, and the protection of the herders’ livelihoods at the forefront of the Maison’s mind, the Loro Piana Method was born, revolutionising not only cashmere production but also what the future of company-to-community engagement would look like.
Pioneering a multifaceted approach, the Method promotes selective breeding and modern herding practices to enhance fibre fineness, protect the ecosystem, and secure premium prices for herders. Drawing on multi-agency expertise, the Maison consults with the Inner Mongolia Academy of Agricultural and Animal Husbandry, and the Alashan League Institute of Animal Husbandry Research, with the support of Università di Camerino and the Italian National Agency for Sustainable Economic Development.
In partnership with the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, the Sustainable Fibre Alliance, and Odyssey Conservation Trust, Loro Piana created Resilient Threads in May this year. This five-year programme supports Mongolia’s ecosystem in the Sukhbaatar province. Additionally, the marque’s Smart Bales project brings transparency to the supply chain, while the sought-after Cashmere of the Year Award, established in 2015, supports and celebrates both the herders and those involved across the production chain of these most precious of fibres.
The sartorial timelessness for which Loro Piana is celebrated extends far beyond the boutique, showing a deep-rooted commitment to enhancing the lives and livelihoods of the individuals and communities they work with, setting a precedent for the notion that fashion should be as far-sighted as it is far-reaching.
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